Dissertation Prospectus - Dissertation Help Web

Dissertation Prospectus

Dissertation Prospectus

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Contents The Prospectus ................................................................................................................................ 1 Completing the Prospectus .......................................................................................................... 1 Submitting the Prospectus ........................................................................................................... 1 Evaluating the Prospectus ............................. ................................................ .............................. 2 An Annotated Outline ................................... ............................................... ................................... 3 Quality Indicators ............................... ................................................ ............................................. 6 Sample Prospectus ............................. ................................................ ............................................. 8

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Dissertation Prospectus

The Prospectus The Dissertation Prospectus is a brief document that provides preliminary information about your• dissertation research and is used in for twodeveloping the It serves as an agreed-upon plan ways:

and is

• It serves as a step to finalize the structure of your dissertation supervisory proposal evaluated to who will work with you on completing the dissertation. doctoral-level project.

ensure a ,

committee

Completing the Prospectus The Dissertation Prospectus consists of several small sections, which are detailed in the annotated outline. Your goal with the prospectus is to create a plan for developing your dissertation proposal. You need to have more information, therefore, than you had in earlier documents, such as the Dissertation Premise, but you do not need to know all the specific details The Prospectus should follow APA 6 th of theDissertation study that you will ultimately conduct.

For example, you may identify intelligence as a covariate in a quantitative study but do not necessarily need to identify the instrument that you plan to use to measure it.

Also, because every research project is unique and this outline is general, you may be asked to include additional information in your prospectus to help assure your committee that you are headed in the right direction. For example, feasibility will be one criterion for evaluating your prospectus, and if you are considering a very unique sample group, your committee may ask that you explore that aspect in more detail before moving forward.

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edition guidelines and be formatted as either a .doc, .docx, or .rtf file. As you work on the

document, you may also want to review the Litmus Test for a Doctoral-Level Research Problem from the Dissertation Premise guide and your Historical Alignment Tool from your academic residency experience, along with the quality indicators found in the Dissertation Prospectus Rubric, which is included in this guide.

Submitting the Prospectus Depending on their academic program, some students will work in a companion course with their chair that supports prospectus development. Students in KAM-based programs will work on their prospectus in SBSF 7100 with their faculty mentor, who is now their chair. Other students may start the Dissertation Prospectus in a course led by a senior member of the faculty in their area, before moving into a dissertation completion course with their chair. And still other students may go directly into a dissertation course with their chair, where they will complete the prospectus. Be sure to check your Program of Study to know which path you will follow.

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Dissertation Prospectus

As with the proposal and dissertation, where you will receive feedback on working drafts, prospectus development is an iterative process. When the prospectus is completed, please follow the submission guidelines for your program. Generally, you should submit a final prospectus to your dissertation supervisory committee for review after completion of your core research sequence but before taking any advanced research course, and •

as required in your

dissertation • toward the end of your time in a companion course or •

prior to beginning your chair.

if course,

you are currently enrolled in one; , foll owing the guidance of your chai

your dissertation proposal

r; of

in SBSF 7100, following the guidance

Evaluating the Prospectus To help you succeed later with the dissertation, your prospectus will be assessed against the quality indicators in the Dissertation Prospectus Rubric. This rubric is not as extensive and indepth as the Dissertation Rubric. The rubric for the prospectus highlights key aspects of your project, at this point in its development, with a distinct focus on the research problem that you plan to address. You should keep these expectations in mind as you write the prospectus. These quality indicators can be found later in this guide.

When both members of your dissertation supervisory committee have indicated yes to all items on the rubric form, your prospectus and committee structure will be reviewed and officially approved by your academic program director or his/her designee. Then you can begin working on your dissertation proposal.

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An Annotated Outline Title The title should be 12 words or fewer and should include relevant information about the study.

Centered at the top.

Name, Program, and Banner ID Number Include your name, your program of study (and specialization if applicable) and Banner ID number. Single-spaced and centered at the top.

Problem Statement Provide a one- to two-paragraph statement that is the result of a review 1. of past findings and/or current practice and that contains the following information: A 2. logical argumentevidence for the need address Preliminary that to provides justification an identified gap literat has relevance to the discipline and/or area of ure practice.

3. that this problem • In quantitative studies, state what needs be studied is meaningful to the discipline or professional field. Provide three to five key citations that highlight the • relevance and currency of the problem.

in the research

that

to

• The overall purpose or intention of the study. by describing • For other approaches, two or more factors project. (variables) and a conjectured relationship among them related to the identified gap or problem.

In qualitative studies, describe the need for increased understanding about the issue be studied, based on the gap or problem.

In mixed-methods studies, with both quantitative and qualitative aspects, clarify how the two approaches will be used together to inform the study. clarify why an alternative approach is needed and useful for this Significance Page 3

Provide one to two paragraphs, informed by the topic in the problem statement, which describe(s) 1. how this study will contribute to filling the gap identified in the problem statement—that is, what original contribution will be made by this study?

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Dissertation Prospectus

2. how this research will support professional practice or allow practical application—that is, answering the “So what?” question.

3. how the claim aligned with the problem statement reflects the potential relevance of this study to society—that is, how might the potential findings lead to positive social change?

Background Provide a representative list of scholarship and/or findings that support the main assertions in the problem statement, highlighting their relationship to the topic (e.g., “This variable was studied with a similar sample by Smith (2010) and Johnson (2008),” or “Jones’s (2011) examination of industry leaders showed similar trends in the same key segments.”).

Framework In one paragraph, describe the theoretical base or conceptual framework in the scholarly literature that will ground the study. Base this description on the problem, purpose, and background of your study. This theory or framework informs, and is informed by, the research question(s) and helps to identify research design decisions, such as the method of inquiry and data collection and analysis.

Research Question(s) List the question, or series of related questions, informed by the purpose of the study, which will lead to the development of what needs to be done in this study and how it will be accomplished.

• A research question informs the research design by providing the foundation for • the generation of hypotheses in quantitative studies, • the questions necessary to build the design structure for qualitative studies, and the process by which different methods will work together in mixed studies.

Nature of the Study Using one of these items as a subheading, provide one concise paragraph that discusses the approach that will be used to address the research question(s) and how it aligns with the problem • Quantitative statement. (e.g., experimental, quasiexperimental, or nonexperimental designs; • Qualitative treatment-control; repeated measures; causal-comparative; single-subject; predictive studies; etc.). Methods, primarily quantitative • Mixed (e.g., ethnography, case study, grounded theory, narrative inquiry, phenomenological research, policy analysis, etc.).

• (e.g., sequential, concurrent, transformative, with•theOther: main focus on quantitative methods).

Mixed Methods, primarily qualitative (e.g., sequential, concurrent, transformative, with the main focus on qualitative methods).

Please specify and provide a justification for its use.

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Dissertation Prospectus

Possible Types and Sources of Information or Data Provide a list of possible types and sources of information or data that could be used in this study (e.g., test scores from college students, surveys of employees, observations of children, interviews of practitioners, historical documents from state records, deidentified medical records, or information from a federal database).

Possible Analytical Strategies (Optional) Provide some possible ways to organize and analyze the results obtained by the research strategies detailed above (e.g., multiple regression, content analysis, meta-analysis).

Other Information (Optional) Provide any other relevant information, such as challenges or barriers that may need to be addressed when conducting this study.

References Include APA-formatted references for all citations within the Dissertation Prospectus.

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Quality Indicators Nine key indicators have been identified to assure the overall quality of the dissertation project at this point in its development. Supervisory committee members will use these indicators to give ongoing feedback and as a means to document their final approval of the Dissertation Prospectus. Students should use these rubric items to guide development of prospectus.

A Dissertation Prospectus shows the potential of leading to a doctoral-quality dissertation only if the answer to all of the following questions is “yes.�

1. Complete?

Does the prospectus contain all the required elements?

Refer to the annotated outline to see the required parts of the Dissertation Prospectus document.

2. Meaningful?

Has a meaningful problem or gap in the research literature been identified? In other words, is addressing this problem the logical next step, given the previous exploratory and confirmatory research (or lack thereof) on this topic? It is not acceptable to simply replicate previous research for a Ph.D. degree.

3. Justified?

Is evidence presented that this problem is significant to the discipline and/or professional field? There should be relevant statistics and evidence, documentable discrepancies, and/or other scholarly facts that point to the significance and urgency of the problem.

4. Grounded?

Is the problem framed in a way that will enable the researcher to either build upon or counter the previously published findings on the topic?

For most fields, grounding involves articulating the problem within the context of a theoretical base or conceptual framework.

Although there are multiple ways to ground a study in the scientific literature, the essential

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requirement is that the problem is framed in such a way that the new findings will have implications for the previous findings.

5. Original?

Does this project have potential to make an original contribution? The problem must be an authentic “puzzle� that needs solving, not merely a topic that the researcher finds interesting.

Addressing the problem should result in an original contribution to the field or discipline.

Dissertation Prospectus

6. Impact?

Does this project have potential to University’s mission of supporting positive social support affect positive social change?

As described in the Significance section (see annotated outline), the anticipated findings should have potential to change.

7.

Feasible?

Can a systematic method of inquiry be used to address the problem? The tentative methodology demonstrates that the researcher has considered the options for inquiry and has selected an approach that has potential to address the problem.

8. Aligned?

Do the various aspects of the prospectus show an overall alignment? The nature of the study should show an alignment between the

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problem, research questions, and tentative approaches to inquiry.

9.

Objective?

Is the topic approached in an objective manner? The framing of the problem should not reveal bias or present a foregone conclusion.

Even if the researcher has a strong opinion on the expected findings, scholarly objectivity must be maximized by framing the problem in the context of a systematic inquiry that permits multiple possible conclusions.

Dissertation Prospectus

Sample Prospectus How Online Doctoral Students Arrive at a Problem Statement for Their Dissertation Alpha B. Gamma General Studies program – General specialization A00000000 Problem Statement Conducting a supervised, independent research project is a unique feature of completing a doctoral degree (Lovitts, 2008). Contrary to common wisdom of a 50% ABD (all-butdissertation) rate, only about 20% of doctoral students are unable to complete the dissertation after finishing their coursework (Lovitts; Wendler et al., 2010). The challenge of the dissertation is not a new phenomenon in higher education, but what is new is the growing number of students who complete their academic programs online (Allen & Seaman, 2007). Although several studies indicate that many students are ultimately successful in defining the central crux of their doctoral capstone, less research has been conducted on that process in a distributed environment.

In their book on doctoral education, Walker, Golde, Jones, Conklin-Bueschel, and Hutchings (2009) highlighted the need to develop more “pedagogies of research” (p. 151) to support teaching people to be scholars. Although a modest body of scholarship exists on research training in traditional programs, emerging research suggests that the online environment offers some unique challenges and opportunities for doctoral students (Baltes, Hoffmn-Kipp, Lynn, &

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Weltzer-Ward, 2010; Lim, Dannels, & Watkins, 2008). Of the many aspects of a research project, development of the problem statement is arguably a key step because it provides the rationale for the entire dissertation. Hence, this research will fill a gap in understanding by focusing specifically on development of problem statements by students in online doctoral programs.

Dissertation Prospectus

Purpose and Significance The purpose of this study is to develop an understanding of the process by which doctoral students in online programs arrive at a viable problem statement for their dissertations. This project is unique in that it addresses an underresearched area of higher education with a population that has increased over the past decade (Bell, 2011). The results of this study will provide much-needed insights into the processes by which increasing numbers of new scholars work through the beginning phase of their research. below.

Insights from this study should aid doctoral committees in helping students to succeed in their final projects, thus supporting eventual degree attainment. Education has long been a force for social change by addressing inequities in society.

Because a broad range of students attends online institutions, supporting their successful attainment of a terminal degree allows for increased diversity in the types of individuals in key

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academic and scholarly leadership positions.

Background Selected articles relating to doctoral education and learning to be a researcher are described

1. Baltes, Hoffman-Kipp, Lynn, and Weltzer-Ward (2010) and Bieschke (2006) provided information on research self-efficacy, which has been shown as a key predictor of the future research of doctoral students.

2. Gelso (2006) and Kim and Karau (2009) provided different views of strategies to support the development of scholar practitioners.

3. Holmes (2009) focused specifically on the dissertation stage.

4. Ivankova and Stick (2006) offered a model that aligns well with the possible methodologies used in this study and that involved online students.

Dissertation Prospectus

5. Research by Lim, Dannels, and Watkins (2008) addressed the role of research courses in an online environment.

6. Lovitts (2008) gave a view of the transition from student to researcher.

Framework The theoretical framework for this study will be Perry’s (1971) theory of epistemological development. Because it addresses ways of knowing in adults, Perry’s theory has been used extensively in all aspects of higher education, albeit more with undergraduates than doctoral students. The approach provides details on cognitive-structural changes that emerge as a result of development and learning. Further, subsequent research and application of Perry’s theory offer guidance on ways to facilitate academic development, thus allowing for insight into the pedagogical challenge of the dissertation (Gardner, 2009).

Research Questions 1. RQ1 - Qualitative: For students with a high-quality problem statement at the dissertation stage, what themes emerge in their reports of the process that they used to develop it?

2. RQ2 - Quantitative: Are there significant differences in the overall quality of problem statements, as objectively rated by doctoral faculty, as the students make progress through the dissertation process?

Nature of the Study The nature of this study will be mixed-method with a qualitative focus. Understanding how students approach this task, which is the primary focus of this dissertation, is consistent with qualitative research. Keeping the focus on how students make sense of their dissertation research should be consistent with Perry’s (1971) epistemological expectations at this point in their development (Gardner, 2009). To elucidate how a viable research problem emerges, objective

Dissertation Prospectus

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ratings of student work products will be examined across time. This quantitative analysis should help pinpoint the amount of growth from the beginning to end of the project.

Possible Types and Sources of Information or Data 1. Problem statements written at four key points in a doctoral student’s career: the premise, the prospectus, the proposal, and the dissertation.

2. Ratings of problem statements by an expert panel of doctoral faculty.

3. Interviews with a representative group of doctoral graduates who have successfully defended their dissertations and whose work was ranked highly by faculty.

4. A measure of epistemological development, as a possible covariate.

5. Interviews or surveys of doctoral faculty, who have helped students succeed, as a possible source for triangulation.

References Allen, I. E., & Seaman, J. (2007). Online nation: Five years of growth in online learning. SloanC: Needham, MA. Baltes, B., Hoffman-Kipp, P., Lynn, L., & Weltzer-Ward, L. (2010). Students’ research selfefficacy during online doctoral research courses. Contemporary Issues in Education Research, 3(3), 51–58.

Bell, N. (2011). Graduate enrollment and degrees: 2000 to 2010. Washington, DC: Council of Graduate Schools.

Bieschke, K. J. (2006). Research self-efficacy beliefs and research outcome expectations: Implications for developing scientifically minded psychologists. Journal of Career Assessment, 14(1), 77–91. doi:10.1177/1069072705281366 Gardner, S. K. (2009). The development of doctoral students: Phases of challenge and support.

ASHE Higher Education Report, 34(6). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

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Gelso, C. J. (2006). On the making of a scientist-practitioner: A theory of research training in professional psychology. Training and Education in Professional Psychology, S(1), 3–16. doi:10.1037/1931-3918.S.1.3 Holmes, B. D. (2009). Re-envisioning the dissertation stage of doctoral study: Traditional mistakes with non-traditional learners. Journal of College Teaching and Learning, 6(8), 9–13.

Ivankova, N. V., & Stick, S. L. (2006). Students’ persistence in a distributed doctoral program in educational leadership in higher education: A mixed methods study. Research in Higher Education, 48(1), 93–135. doi:10.1007/s11162-006-9025-4 Kamler, B., & Thomson, P. (2008). The failure of dissertation advice books: Toward alternative pedagogies for doctoral writing. Educational Researcher, 37(8), 507–514. doi:10.3102/0013189X08327390 Kim, K., & Karau, S. (2009). Working environment and the research productivity of doctoral students in management. Journal of Education for Business, 85(2), 101–106. doi:10.1080/08832320903258535 Lim, J. H., Dannels, S. A., & Watkins, R. (2008). Qualitative investigation of doctoral students’ learning experiences in online research methods courses. Quarterly Review of Distance Education, 9(704), 223–236.

Lovitts, B. (2008). The transition to independent research: Who makes it, who doesn’t, and why.

The Journal of Higher Education, 79(3), 296–325. doi:10.1353/jhe.0.0006 Perry, W. G., Jr. (1970). Forms of intellectual and ethical development in the college years: A scheme. New York, NY: Holt, Rinehart, & Winston.

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Walker, G. E., Golde, C. M., Jones, L., Conklin-Bueschel, A., & Hutchings, P. (2009). The formation of scholars: Rethinking doctoral education for the twenty-first century. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Wendler, C., Bridgeman, B., Cline, F., Millett, C., Rock, J., Bell, N., & McAllister, P. (2010).

The path forward: The future of graduate education in the United States. Princeton, NJ: Educational Testing Service.

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